Brands struggle with doing social media marketing well at the local level. This morning at L23, BrandMuscle’s Paula Carren spoke with US Cellular’s Sergio Apodaca about some best practices his company follows to make social media more effective for his employer’s brand. And as Apodaca notes, US Cellular has a bigger challenge than most, given its position as a challenger brand fighting for market share against AT&T, Verizon, and others.
US Cellular recently had some viral success with a campaign designed to fight device addiction. Called the “Phones Down Challenge” the campaign encouraged consumers to spend increments of time with their phones put away.
The purpose was to help consumers build “a better relationship with our devices.”
Key Takeaways
Here are three key takeaways that Sergio shared for other brands thinking about doing effective digital marketing in the modern era.
Embrace AI/Automation. Running away from AI is a mistake ( a common theme today). Much better to embrace the opportunities that AI presents, particularly for automating remedial tasks and streamlining processes, for example by making it easier to create social media calendars.
Prioritize Customer Experience. Every decision has to be made with the customer at the center. “it is at the heart of everything we do,” Sergio said. “How will the customer be impacted?”
Invest in Influencer marketing. Sergio sees a lot of leverage in “piggybacking on the goodwill and trust and the fanaticism of the fans” of influencers like athletes and musicians.”
Social Media Marketing – the Brand Experience
Social media marketing at the local level is a perennial challenge for brands. And agencies are continuously trying to make local social easier to do and more impactful for brands. A leader who helps brands crack the code on local will lay out the current state of play.
Paula Carren, BrandMuscle
Sergio Apodaca, US Cellular
